Ever since his childhood days spending time with Granny in the kitchen, Arthur Hanna has loved to cook.
The Tidelands Health central sterile manager and personal chef is always whipping up something – from his best take on his Granny’s beef stew to many other Southern staples with his own unique twist.
After years honing his skills at home and through culinary classes at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Hanna craved a signature dish created all on his own. Little did he know that his unique signature dish would one day end up branded and for sale in a local grocery store.

The secret ingredient?
No doubt that Granny (a.k.a. Essie Graham) deserves the credit for inspiring Hanna’s passion and helping him become the cook he is today. He even named his small catering business in her honor, Granny’s Family Catering.
He started his culinary journey as a young boy aiming to make his Granny’s brown gravy – the kind that tastes so scrumptious over creamy mashed potatoes.
He remembers calling her for guidance after his version just wasn’t turning out quite right.
“It was an epic fail,” he says of that first attempt more than a decade ago. “Now, I could cook gravy in my sleep.”

He’s come a long way since those initial attempts at making gravy. He’s gone from impressing friends, co-workers and relatives to wowing attendees at private parties and judges in American Culinary Federation competitions.
About five years ago, he decided to create his own signature dish that is unique, delicious and embodies his culinary style.

Eyeing the tabletop smoker that his wife and kids gave him for his birthday, Hanna was inspired.
“I love smoking food, and I love chicken salad,” Hanna says. “So I wanted to find my own dish – something that is signature to me.”
Several smokes later, his signature smokin’ chicken salad was born. In the years since he crafted the creation, coworkers, relatives, church members and others have scooped it up, raving about the distinct flavor before going back in for another bite.
The secret ingredient to his signature dish? Well, the smoke, of course. He smokes different ingredients throughout the process and then puts them all together and smokes them again.
“That adds all the extra flavor,” he says. “Everybody loves it. That has been very encouraging.”

On a whim, Hanna took samples of his signature spread to the Piggly Wiggly in Surfside Beach, aiming to persuade the store manager to sell his dish as part of the store’s selection of local offerings.
It didn’t take much convincing.
“He looked at the package and says, ‘I think this will sell,’ ” Hanna says. “I was excited. I walked out with a big ole grin, and I ran to the car.”

Then, the additional work began. Before it hit the shelves, Hanna spent weeks developing nutritional labels and packaging for his special recipe.
In mid-August, he dropped off the first batch labeled and ready for sale, proudly watching as the store worker neatly stacked the containers for sale on a refrigerated shelf in the store’s deli section. An 8-ounce container sells for $6.99.
“Really, words can’t express the way I feel,” Hanna says. “But the one thing I know – none of this happens without God.”